Inside The Future Of Entertainment

Some of the innovations that will no doubt be an integral part of the future of entertainment.

Goodbye HD, Hello HDR

Just a few years ago HD was all the rage in top-of-the-line televisions and programming, HDTV and standard definition television (SDTV) are the two categories of display formats for digital television (DTV) transmissions, which are becoming the standard. HDTV provides a higher quality display with a vertical resolution display from 720p to 1080i.

HDR - High Dynamic Range - is the digital imaging that will replace HD. HDR technology focuses on creating a more detailed and lifelike image by recovering the true color of an image. And with the Ultra High Definition (UHD ) Alliance aiming to set HDR standards by the end of this year, HDR certifications will soon be ubiquitous on televisions and set-top boxes in electronics stores and homes.

It is mainly thanks to Technicolor that HDR will go from an idea in a lab to an image on your screen, as the company has been creating HDR technology used in every step of the entertainment process.

With a new HDR plug-in, Technicolor is working with content creators – the studios, producers, etc .– to sharpen the images of new and existing film and television. And to bring this technology onto one of the new HDR televisions – some of the latest LG, Samsung and Sony models offer HDR capability – the company has created the HDR 4K set-top box.

With just one signal, the box allows content to be displayed in HDR or SDR, depending on a content’s imaging. While this may look like any old cable box, the grey plastic device will allow you to get the clearer, brighter picture you want, without having to reconfigure your home theater each time.

Virtual Reality is the New Reality

Ever since we ushered in the new millennium, it seems people have been talking about virtual reality, perpetually deeming it "the next big thing." But with Technicolor's new technology, this prediction may actually come to fruition.

This year, Technicolor hopes to work with creators to produce more “Catatonic Content” than ever: This means that within five to ten years all it will take is a pair of goggles – similar to the ones Samsung already makes and sells– to immerse yourself in the world of your favorite game or film.

And it won't end with visual immersion. New technology will allow the content playing device to link to others – a smartphone, watch or heated cushion, for example – to create a completely sensory experience.

An explosion on screen will lead to a vibration in your pocket or on your wrist and a sudden heating-up of your back. Without having to enter the fray, or even leave your couch, you will be completely transported.

Virtual reality is an altogether different way of experiencing media. Inside the headset, you have a 360-degree view of the world. If you look straight ahead, as you would while staring at a television set or computer screen, you will miss something.

What 3D TV’s and virtual reality headsets have in common is that they are both niche consumer items with, at one point or another, massive amount of hype surrounding them. What makes them different, however, is that virtual reality makes sense in 2016. The kinks of the 90’s have been worked out, there’s content for it already, and it’s relatively affordable as long as you already have either a smartphone or computer. 3D may get there one day, but it may have had to fail a few years ago in order for the stars to align as they have for VR.